Gallo pinto (Costa Rica/Nicaragua rice and beans)

Costa Rica and Nicaragua — disputed national claim; daily staple across both countries; African-origin rice and beans tradition meets Central American cooking

Gallo pinto is the national breakfast dish of both Costa Rica and Nicaragua — day-old cooked white rice and black beans (Costa Rica) or red beans (Nicaragua) fried together in the same pan with onion, sweet pepper, cilantro, and Lizano sauce (in Costa Rica). The name means spotted rooster — the mixed black-and-white appearance of the rice and beans. Eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner — the foundation of Central American daily cooking.

Savoury, mild, slightly smoky from the bean liquid — warm, familiar, and filling; the Lizano sauce adds a distinctive sweet-sour note in the Costa Rican version